Something To Talk About

Three long, frustrating weeks. He last saw Kagome three weeks ago, and she looked as through he had taken a sword and gutted her. Well, actually, he did. He gutted her with his words, and his cool demeanor.

Now, as he sat in his office, his head pounding from the massive headache that he was currently experiencing, he was attempting to put together a strategy that would keep Kagome's company from falling into the hands of Naraku Onigumo.

Naraku. Just the sound of that fool's name made him want to tear flesh. He heard rumors that Naraku was planning on dismanteling Kagome's company and sell off pieces of it to the highest bidder. So far, the bastard had been stopped before any real damage could be done. However, he could just bet that Onigumo was far from finished and would not give in without a battle.

He read a few of the contracts that lay before him, before placing the papers down and standing up. His entire body ached and the fact that he hadn't been sleeping didn't help matters much, either.

He knew that his father was furious with him. Each time his sire looked his way, he would bare his fangs and growl. Of course, all he would do is meet the glares with his usual look of indifference, but inside, he knew he was getting exactly what he deserved.

Tsukikomaru was now with his mother, and quite content, from what he heard Inu Yasha tell his father. Kagome, on the other hand, seemed agitated and would only calm down in the pup's presence. It was a bit strange to hear his younger brother and father talking. After all these years of bitter estrangement, it seemed that the two finally met on a common ground: They were both angry at him.

Well, who cared? He had a job to do and would continue to do it. With his father avoiding him, he could get the work done on Kagome's company that needed to be done. He made sure to go to all of the meetings, answer all of the messages, and call all of the important people who needed their orders for what was to be done for that particular job.

Once he managed to finish her duties, he began to concentrate on his own company. But, the stress was beginning to wear him down. He could feel the exhaustion that continued to threaten him, and knew that he would soon need to sleep.

But, despite all that had gone wrong, he still loved Kagome. She, their pup, and Rin were the most important beings in his life. But, he could feel his hopes for a family slipping through his fingers, and for the life of him, he didn't know how to stop the down-ward slide.

His friends still came to visit him, but they were now dividing their time between him and Kagome, and though he did prefer his time alone to reflect on events, he was also lonely. It would have once amused him to know that he, Sesshomaru, could feel loneliness, but he was indeed lonely.

He turned his golden eyes towards the window and looked out over the horizon. He wondered what Kagome was doing and if she was thinking about him. If only he could go back in time to prevent all that she had endured, but he had to face reality and reality was that Kagome, at the moment, hated him. And, for good reason.

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Kagome laughed and waved at the small hanyou pup as he tickled his uncle mercilessly. Inu Yasha's yelps and whines could be heard and soft chuckles surrounded her.

She signed and looked up at the sky, her good mood faltering as saw the silvery clouds that floated by. 'They are nearly the same color of Sesshomaru's hair.' She mused, but then angrily shook her head. No, she was not going to ruin her good time by thinking of that arrogant ass.

However, a small part of her felt as though perhaps she had blown things all out of proportion. Sesshomaru was not known for his sympathy, or ability to soften words. Suikotsu gently explained all that had happened with Keyana, and once he was finished, she concluded that Sesshomaru could not be held responsible for a medical condition.

Still, as the story of their break up unfolded, mostly because everyone involved came to her and told her their part in the situation, she could not help but be angry and hurt that he would think her capable of such a disgusting act. He should have known better than to think that she would ever cheat on him. But, he dismissed her as though she were nothing but a piece of garbage, and now, he was getting to experience what it felt like to be the outcast.

“You having a good time?” A male voice asked. Glancing up, she grinned and nodded. “I can't believe that he is so big.” She sighed.

Bankotsu nodded. “Yeah, he is going to get bigger, though.” He murmured. He glanced around and watched as Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, Kagura, and Hiten cheered the small hanyou on, while the eldest Taisho laughed with Kagome's mother.

Kikyo was snapping pictures of the wrestling match, while Goshinki and Suikotsu coached the young pup in what to do next. He laughed when Inu Yasha yelped as Tsukiko's knee found his groin.

“Well, that's what he gets for picking on someone smaller than him.” Bankotsu snickered, his eyes watering as he watched Inu Yasha cup his aching balls.

Kagome laughed and watched as a small girl ran over to Inu Taisho and grabbed onto his leg. The girl looked slightly familiar, and she nudged Bankotsu. “Who is that little girl?” She asked.

Bankotsu followed Kagome's eyes and quietly said, “Her name is Rin, and she is Sesshomaru's daughter.”

Kagome's head snapped around as she stared at her cousin. “What do you mean that she is his daughter?” She demanded. “Are you telling me that he slept with someone else and stayed with her for her pregnancy?”

“Whoa,” Bankotsu said, his eyes wary. “Rin is Sesshomaru's adopted daughter. He found her about a year after you left, abandoned in an allyway. He chose to raise the girl and as for other women, no. He refuses to even look at another woman romantically.”

Kagome's mind processed the information slowly and didn't notice that Bankotsu got up and moved over to the table with the food. She also didn't notice that Rin was now coming towards her, a large grin upon her face.

“Rin's name is Rin.” Rin announced, her smile almost blinding. She looked at Kagome, who in turn, smiled at the girl and softly replied, “My name is Kagome.”

Rin looked over at Tsukikomaru and asked, “Grandpa says that he is my brother, and that my daddy is his daddy. So, does that mean that you are my mommy. We have the same color hair and eyes.”

Kagome looked into those wide, hopeful eyes and could tell that the little girl had clearly not picked up Sesshomaru's personality. But, before she could reply, Tsukiko ran over and grabbed Rin's hand. “Want to play tag with me? I'll be it first.” He said, and tugged the girl away, leaving Kagome to ponder everything that she was feeling.

How was it that Sesshomaru, the cold hearted, arrogant bastard that he was, raise a sweet, loving, child like that, and let's not let the fact that she was human escape notice, either.

Kagome could see many similiarites between her and Rin. The little girl loved to laugh and it was clear that she didn't see any differences between her, and the inu youkai that was around her. To her, they were simply family.

Kouga noticed that Kagome was deep in thought, and he got up and moved to sit beside her. “So, what are you thinking about?” He asked, his blue eyes staring into hers.

Kagome still felt uneasy around the wolf, mainly because of everything that he admitted to doing to her, but he didn't push, and he did the one thing that Sesshomaru had as of yet to do: He apologized.

“I'm just shocked that Sesshomaru is actually raising a human child. I thought he hated humans.” She said, her voice soft.

Kouga watched Kagome carefully and then slowly nodded. “He does.” He said, and watched as she turned her eyes to him. “But, there are a few exceptions. You and Rin are the only humans who are able to walk around and claim that you have nothing to fear from him. He loves Rin, Kagome. He loves her because she came along at a time in his life where all he had was work and nothing else, save for the knowledge that yet again, he was the reason why you suffered.”

“He has raised Rin in hopes that one day, he can forgive himself for all of the pain that he has caused. Not only to you, but to both of your pups, as well. He also loves you, Kagome. Nothing has ever phased that youkai so deeply until that day of that show you were both on. When he found out that he was lied to and that you suffered because of Ayame's lies and jealousy, he was lost. He didn't know how to deal with the emotions that came with losing a pup, nor did he know how to repair the damage that was done to you.”

Kouga took in a deep breath and looked over at the pups, aware that Kagome's eyes were intently upon him. He took in another breath before continuing. “The worst thing a parent can experience is losing a pup, or in a human's case, a child. While you experienced losing Keyana, he experienced the loss of both Keyana, and Tsukiko. When you ran away from Japan, he didn't know if he would ever see his pup again, nor did he know if he would ever see you again. That hurt him badly. I'm not saying forgive him for all that he has done, Kagome. I'm telling you, that despite what you think and feel, that youkai loves you more than his own life. Before you make the decision to cut him out of your life forever, you owe it to yourself, Tsukiko, and Sesshomaru, to talk to the father of your pup and try to find some kind of common ground. Like it or not, Sesshomaru is part of your family, through Tsukiko. You are parents, and will be so for the rest of your life.”

Kouga nodded over at Ginta and leaned over to kiss Kagome's cheek. “Please think about what I have said.” He murmured, and then gave her a grin. Shaking her head, she could not help but smile as her eyes turned towards the children as they giggled over some sort of secret that they were currently sharing.

Standing up, she told Kikyo that she was going inside for a few moments to use the bathroom. But, once inside, she made her way to the room that was currently hers, and she pulled out a briefcase that Goshinki had brought along with her belongings, and pulled out a few papers. She scanned them, and realized just how much she had missed. She'd have a lot of catch up to do when she returned to work, it seemed. She placed the papers back into the briefcase, and snapped it shut.

Suikotsu told her that her problems could improve with time. She didn't tell anyone, but she had slowly regained her ability to read, and was remembering things, though some things were still cloudy. The very first thing that she remembered was the night that Sesshomaru took her virginity.

Sitting down on her bed, she recalled how tender, and gentle he was, and she could hear his words that he would not rest until she was completely satisfied. She could even remember the pain of when he entered her body, and claimed her innocence, but whispered to her and soothed her as she cried.

Shaking her head, she mentally cursed herself. She would not forgive him. Damn it, she wasn't going to simply ignore all that had transpired between them.

Sinking down to the floor, she wondered if things had been different, would they be together now, enjoying the life that went along with being a family? She didn't know.

He didn't even try to get in touch with her. After that night three weeks ago, he didn't even try to call or come see her. If he cared so damn much, why didn't he come?

No, Kouga was wrong. He didn't love her. His actions proved that.

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Naraku slammed his fist down on the table and glared at the occupants of the room. The female wolf was watching him with narrowed eyes, and Muso was fidgeting like crazy. Someone was about to get it.

“So, who wants to talk first?” Naraku demanded, his red eyes flashing dangerously. He watched as Ayame stood up.

“It would seem that Sesshomaru is a dog who can learn new tricks. Word has it that he is running both Kit Yurakami's company, along with his own.” Ayame said, her green eyes glittering. “However, I have it on good word that he is wearing down. Rumor has it that he is close to breaking down from exhaustion.”

Naraku smirked. He liked this particular wolf. She didn't mince words, nor did she have a problem with getting the information that she wanted. Yes, Ayame was a valuable tool. The idiot beside her, however, was useless.

Nodding at his brother, Naraku waited for Muso to speak. The younger Onigumo took in a deep breath and then shook his head. “I'm sorry, Naraku. I've done all I can do, but it seems that Kit Yurakami's company is stronger than ever. Sesshomaru Taisho has made sure of it, and I can't find away around him.” He muttered.

Naraku stood up, knocking over his chair as he made his way over to his brother. “You mean to tell me that all of the fucking work that I have put into gaining that bitch's company has been a waste? You said that she was vulnerable.” He growled.

Ayame sighed. “If I could make a suggestion.” She said, and when Naraku's eyes slid towards her, she said, “Why bother with her company, when you could have Sesshomaru's? He is weak, especially since he has been concentrating on protecting Yurakami's company, and that means, his company is now open for attack.”

Naraku's angry face relaxed into one of thought. Turning from the two before him, he walked back to his chair, picked it up, and sat back down. He hadn't thought of taking Taisho's company. But, the wolf was right. The bastard was, in deed, vulnerable.

“Well, it would seem that you have managed to surpass my brother in the usefullness department, Ayame. Get me all of the information you can about the stockholders of his company. If I can't go for one bitch, I'll go after another.” Naraku sneered, his eyes twinkling with the possibilites.

Ayame gave the man before her a mock bow, and turned to leave the office. Muso turned to follow her, but Naraku's voice stopped him.

“Close the door, brother. We need to discuss your inability to perform.”